


A Very Long Time

by slightly_petty



Category: Starsky & Hutch
Genre: Gen, Post-Series, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:20:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29446185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slightly_petty/pseuds/slightly_petty
Summary: It's Valentine's Day, and Starsky has a gift.
Relationships: Ken Hutchinson & David Starsky
Comments: 13
Kudos: 22





	A Very Long Time

Valentine’s Day, 1980

“Hey, Hutch, you got a minute?”

Hutch turned around to face Starsky, who was standing behind the dinner table looking vaguely apprehensive. Hutch couldn’t begin to guess why, so he just said, “Sure.”

“Oh, good.” Starsky reached for the floor and picked up a cardboard box lid with a large upside-down gift bag in it. He set it on the table, then looked at Hutch expectantly.

“Starsky, what is this.”

“Listen, I know you don’t like Valentine’s Day, but—”

Hutch's eyes narrowed dangerously. “ _But_?” he echoed.

He was in no mood to hear what came next. All day he had been visually bombarded with pink and red and hearts with lace, and he was sick of it. Valentine’s Day was almost as bad as Christmas; it was a day for companies to convince you that if you didn’t spend enough money on your loved ones then they didn’t truly matter to you. 

(And _maybe_ having a materialistic snob for a late ex-wife hadn’t helped his appreciation of the holiday either.)

Starsky ignored the warning in Hutch’s tone and continued, “But I got you something.”

There were lots of things Hutch wanted to say, but he settled for the most obvious. “For _Valentine’s Day_? Starsky, we’re not dating.”

“I _know_ that, dummy. Just… at least take a look at it, will ya?” He pushed the box lid across the table toward Hutch, who simply stared at it.

Finally Starsky gave up waiting and removed the bag himself, revealing a pot of geraniums. 

Hutch’s eyes widened in surprise. Whatever he had been expecting, this wasn’t it, and the shock effectively silenced him.

When Hutch gave no indication of speaking, Starsky tried to explain. “Listen, I know we don’t really do the saying thanks thing and I know we don’t need to, but… this past year was just so bad. I… I needed to do something. And the florist said that geraniums were a good friendship flower, so…” He trailed off for a moment. “She kind of expected me to buy a bouquet, I think, but it’d just die in a week or two, and that ain’t us. But these are supposed to live a long time, if you take care of them right.”

Hutch was still staring at the flowers. A present not given out of obligation, but out of love and true thoughtfulness. It startled him how sappily symbolic it was, but Valentine’s Day made a perfect excuse for that sort of thing.

Then he remembered Starsky’s last words. _But these are supposed to live a long time, if you take care of them right_. Before the shooting, he had messed that job up pretty badly, but things were different now. Yes, these geraniums were going to live a very long time.

“Um.” Starsky’s noise startled Hutch out of his reverie, and he realized he had just been staring at the flowerpot for the past minute. Starsky was still waiting for a reaction.

“C’mere,” Hutch said, beckoning Starsky to his side of the table. Starsky stepped around hesitantly, and Hutch rested both hands on his shoulders.

“They’re beautiful. Thank you.” Then he pulled Starsky into a hug.

Starsky mumbled into his shoulder, “I wouldn’t’ve made it through these past months without you, Blondie.”

“Hey, that’s what partners are for.”

“I know. But also I knew you’d like the flowers, so…” he shrugged as best he could in the hug. “So Happy Valentine’s Day, Hutch.”

The best gift Hutch could ever ask for was that the man in his arms was alive, and by some miracle he had that. But he supposed he could also take the flowers.

Hutch smiled and hugged Starsky just a little bit closer. “I love you too, Starsk.”

**Author's Note:**

> I don't anything about flowers I basically picked via eenie-meenie-minie-moe
> 
> Happy Valentine's Day!!


End file.
